Today I experienced what can only be described as ---surreal. I'm aware this word no longer carries the dramatic meaning it once did, but suffice to say this adjective is completely appropriate in describing the brief conversation I was involved in this afternoon. During my usual trip to the "Weed Shack"(sung to the tune of theB-52's "Love Shack", just insert weed where love goes... Weird Al if you read this it's my idea first...) for meds in preparation for the impending New Year; I found myself in the waiting room with an enchanting woman of at least 450 pounds, a lovely lady dear friends employed by our favorite Auntie Iris. My new friend arrived swathed in a sweatshirt embroidered with the logo of our favorite "Weed Shack", obviously there in search of relief from one or more of the myriad maladies afflicting a princess of such ponderous proportions. Idle chit chat amongst several waiting for their turn at the counter, turned up one person just returned from what he described as a very successful interview with Auntie Iris. I thought he was a Mormon missionary because he was attired in black slacks, white shirt with black tie, oddly enough I believe he was also riding a bicycle. Some of us were of course quite incredulous, but then my princess spoke up and informed the room that she works processing our tax returns and refund checks. Our new friend then went on to say that her supervisor told her that as long as she held a valid card all was good.
Yes, incredible you say, well so say I dear reader, so say I. Here in our area where the Federal Government is actively raiding and closing Medical Marijuana dispensaries, our good Auntie Iris is on the other hand condoning their employees use of the herb. Hmmmmm? Really?
Let's review shall we: Federal Law being used to persecute marijuana users across the nation who don't work for the Federal Government are apparently inapplicable to the Federal workplace when a Federal employee holds a valid medical marijuana recommendation.
If you read one of my previous posts: "The Difference Between Us and Them", detailing an exchange I had with two ladies working at the DMV, this post should serve as further evidence of the attitude our servants have towards the citizens who provide for their welfare. My wife has a saying, she calls it the "Goose /Gander Principle", if it's good for the goose it's also fine for the gander; meaning that there shall be equality between us. Given the fact that our Congress sees no need to inhibit it's members from grossly inflating their net worths through insider trading; why should any of us be surprised that it's O.K. to smoke medical pot if you work for the IRS?
Our leaders have set themselves apart from those who house, clothe, nourish and educate them and their children. We the people of the United States whose rights were enshrined in both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights have witnessed their reduction to quaint ideas of what used to be, and what might have been. As Americans it is incumbent upon us to set the example for the rest of the world as our forefathers did. Are we really going to allow these thieves to desecrate the fundamental greatness that is the USA? Can we continue down a path providing one set of laws for the governed and another for the governor? At what point will we throw off the yoke of the ruling class, take profit motive from government service, and return power to those who will wield it with wisdom?
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Argument for a Third Party
Today we're going to discuss the purpose of this site; creating from the grass roots up, a new political party. Grouping those of us in the center who feel marginalized by the radical wings of both the Democratic and Republican parties. As we grind through yet another ridiculously bloated election season we witness first hand the best reasons to begin this endeavor.
Our country has been co-opted by two parties, that in a tit for tat partisan contest, have left behind their true duties to us the taxpayers in pursuit of power for the sake of power alone. Temporary spending bills loaded with earmarks for vanity projects that do little for anyone but the special interest group lobbying for it's creation.
Extending tax relief to the evaporating "middle class", tied to legislation that would demand an immediate vote on the Keystone pipeline bringing tar sand oil to the Texas gulf coast for refining.
This is what passes for good governance these days.
What does the creation of a potential environmental disaster have to do with giving the average taxpayer a $1000 to spend? Everything. No legislation passed by our leaders into law stands on it's own merits. For every worthy project funded by our tax dollars, there must be a hundred more focused towards the needs of a very narrow constituency, whose ultimate goal is to enrich a few at the expense of the many. Sometimes that enrichment takes the form of stroking an ego; ever drive down a highway and see signs commemorating stretches of the road to past politicians?
In West Virginia the whole highway system is a result of vast overfunding from the congress during Sen. Robert Byrd's chairing of the ways and means committee. During his tenure as chairman W. Virginia received more federal highway funds than California. We have 40 million plus people in the "Golden State", driving obsolete highways or riding a patchwork system of public transport. Meanwhile there are less than a million hearty souls in "Hillbilly Holler State" with pretty new roads going absolutely nowhere, and so few cars they're likely to stay that way for some time.
These are but a few of the many egregious examples of what happens when there is not a plurality of political representation in congress. No focus on the nations needs, no action taken in scale with the demands of the situation faced. I.E. the recession, and it's fallout, where are the projects that benefit us all while employing the greatest number of citizens? While our leaders are discussing austerity, tightening of belts and so on in relation to you and I; they award themselves pay increases and benefits that even when working we would never have enjoyed.
Precisely why we require a third party contesting elections at every level of government, in every state of the union. Ross Perot's experiment proved, that without a party structure in each state contesting congressional seats in support of his candidacy, failure was assured. Can you imagine how things would have worked if he had won? Ross would have been a lame duck from the outset with no allies in the legislative body, immediately reduced to side show status.
Our country needs, nee' deserves, a party treading the middle ground keeping personal choice issues in the realm of the individual facing those choices. Removing divisive discourse in favor of healthy debate aimed at restoring our nation to prominence in a world ruled by reason not greed.
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Russian Example
Friends, as I write today the people of Russia have sent us a remarkable example of how protests should be delivered against those who abuse their power. With contested elections roiling the atmosphere in a country not wholly at terms with Democracy, we are fortunate to witness perhaps Democracy in it's purest form.
Not at all the complacency we saw here when GW Bush stole the election from Al Gore in the "Dangling Chad" incident of the 2000 election. We Americans just sat back and took it. Two hundred plus years of relative stability has turned the average citizen of this nation into a beer swilling football watching ill informed fool. Voting by rote for the same parties that have propelled our country down a trail of doom and decline, we would rather watch sporting events than keep an eye on those charged with running our country's affairs. Sounds a little like ancient Rome, doesn't it?
Precisely how you lost sight of the fact that when we invaded Iraq, it was not to keep Saddam from developing WMD's it was to gain access to their oil. At the same time it gave us military bases on the border with Iran and in effect allowed us to encircle them with bases in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The point is people that regardless of nationality, our governments are engaged in a game of resource allocation that will inevitably lead to greater conflict the world over. As citizens of the earth, not just our personal patches of ground, we must elect leaders who can work in concert with each other for the ultimate benefit of all. In Russia the people recognize their leaders are only trying to consolidate power, with little or no emphasis placed on the lives of the average Russian. The same applies here, our leaders have just sat back throughout this recession pointing fingers at the other party while doing nothing for the constituents who put them in office. It's all about keeping what they have, without a thought given to improving the lives of those who put them in a position to affect change.
Our political system has become polarized to the point that change needed immediately, is more often than not bogged down in Congressional committees so long that by the time that change is made, it's already obsolete. We need a third option to keep the two entrenched trough feeding parties in check, turning "Self Service" into "Public Service" by removing the profit motive from government service.
Not at all the complacency we saw here when GW Bush stole the election from Al Gore in the "Dangling Chad" incident of the 2000 election. We Americans just sat back and took it. Two hundred plus years of relative stability has turned the average citizen of this nation into a beer swilling football watching ill informed fool. Voting by rote for the same parties that have propelled our country down a trail of doom and decline, we would rather watch sporting events than keep an eye on those charged with running our country's affairs. Sounds a little like ancient Rome, doesn't it?
Precisely how you lost sight of the fact that when we invaded Iraq, it was not to keep Saddam from developing WMD's it was to gain access to their oil. At the same time it gave us military bases on the border with Iran and in effect allowed us to encircle them with bases in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The point is people that regardless of nationality, our governments are engaged in a game of resource allocation that will inevitably lead to greater conflict the world over. As citizens of the earth, not just our personal patches of ground, we must elect leaders who can work in concert with each other for the ultimate benefit of all. In Russia the people recognize their leaders are only trying to consolidate power, with little or no emphasis placed on the lives of the average Russian. The same applies here, our leaders have just sat back throughout this recession pointing fingers at the other party while doing nothing for the constituents who put them in office. It's all about keeping what they have, without a thought given to improving the lives of those who put them in a position to affect change.
Our political system has become polarized to the point that change needed immediately, is more often than not bogged down in Congressional committees so long that by the time that change is made, it's already obsolete. We need a third option to keep the two entrenched trough feeding parties in check, turning "Self Service" into "Public Service" by removing the profit motive from government service.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Marijuana Part 3 The Myth of Prohibition
Friends, I write this now in the wake of news that our esteemed sheriff, Maggie Mims( Fresno, Ca.) has testified to the U.S. Senate regarding her personal beliefs relating to medical marijuana, and the locations where that product is grown. As expected, her continued consumption of federal government funding in the "War on Drugs", is taking precedence over her sworn duty to uphold the laws of CALIFORNIA.
Clearly she's not alone, all over the country we have elected "self servants" who will do anything to protect their current funding, while attempting to garner more. NO one regardless of political affiliation, can stand in public with a straight face, and claim that by any measure the prohibition of any drug has been successful. Instead what we have is an escalating attack on a law that we Californians voted for by the very people sworn to uphold this particular law. Can you say conflict of interest?
America if we're to be taken seriously by our friends and neighbors in the world, and even our enemies; it is incumbent upon our government to operate in the real world. In the real world, the "War on Drugs" is an utter failure, a sinkhole in which we pour more money than we allocate to welfare, veterans care, and education combined. Where would we be now with regard to public debt had we invested those resources in education rather than a never ending trough filling exercise?
Clearly she's not alone, all over the country we have elected "self servants" who will do anything to protect their current funding, while attempting to garner more. NO one regardless of political affiliation, can stand in public with a straight face, and claim that by any measure the prohibition of any drug has been successful. Instead what we have is an escalating attack on a law that we Californians voted for by the very people sworn to uphold this particular law. Can you say conflict of interest?
America if we're to be taken seriously by our friends and neighbors in the world, and even our enemies; it is incumbent upon our government to operate in the real world. In the real world, the "War on Drugs" is an utter failure, a sinkhole in which we pour more money than we allocate to welfare, veterans care, and education combined. Where would we be now with regard to public debt had we invested those resources in education rather than a never ending trough filling exercise?
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Difference Between Us and Them.
Have any of you noticed the attitude public employees have towards those who are not employed by the government? Recently, I found myself at the local DMV where I witnessed the hazing of a new full time hire at the branch.
To provide an accurate portrayal of the event I will set the scene for you. I am standing at the photo counter after having my motorcycle written test graded, I passed. The woman grading my test was in conversation with a co worker while attending to my needs. I love multi-taskers, don't you? She then related to her friend at the office about how she told the new hire, also a woman, that she had better run to clock in the moment the door opened, as every second she was late would be taken from her break time or some such nonsense. The two women snickered and shared conspiratorial looks, as the other suggested that perhaps they could find more creative ways with which to torment the new girl. When I commented on the rather brutal nature of their conspiracy, the reply was and I quote: "If she can't handle us then how the hell is she going to deal with assholes like you?"
I'm not going to debate whether or not I'm an asshole. Many people clearly believe so. My father included, since I bought a motorcycle. And my wife will probably concur on occasion. She's probably right.
However, I found that exchange to be quite telling. Those who rely upon "assholes like you" for their food, homes, and general well being; do hold us "assholes" in contempt. Obviously the DMV is not unique in it's attitude towards the public that fills the trough from which they feed. When fully 16% of our populace makes their living as employees of JUST the Federal government, how long before the trough fillers are outnumbered by the trough feeders?
To provide an accurate portrayal of the event I will set the scene for you. I am standing at the photo counter after having my motorcycle written test graded, I passed. The woman grading my test was in conversation with a co worker while attending to my needs. I love multi-taskers, don't you? She then related to her friend at the office about how she told the new hire, also a woman, that she had better run to clock in the moment the door opened, as every second she was late would be taken from her break time or some such nonsense. The two women snickered and shared conspiratorial looks, as the other suggested that perhaps they could find more creative ways with which to torment the new girl. When I commented on the rather brutal nature of their conspiracy, the reply was and I quote: "If she can't handle us then how the hell is she going to deal with assholes like you?"
I'm not going to debate whether or not I'm an asshole. Many people clearly believe so. My father included, since I bought a motorcycle. And my wife will probably concur on occasion. She's probably right.
However, I found that exchange to be quite telling. Those who rely upon "assholes like you" for their food, homes, and general well being; do hold us "assholes" in contempt. Obviously the DMV is not unique in it's attitude towards the public that fills the trough from which they feed. When fully 16% of our populace makes their living as employees of JUST the Federal government, how long before the trough fillers are outnumbered by the trough feeders?
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